European, global and intercultural dimension in curriculum development
Internationalisation of school education in Ukraine is the process of integrating the international component into educational, research, and public activities. It involves harmonisation of educational systems, development of international cooperation, exchange and recognition of qualifications. Despite the difficulties of the martial law, it strives to improve the quality of education and the competitiveness of Ukrainian schools at the global level.
Main directions:
- harmonisation with the European standards – convergence of the Ukrainian education system with European education systems. It includes obligations within the framework of the European Higher Education Area. It also may include secondary education;
- international cooperation – development of exchange, joint projects and programmes, participation in international conferences and internships.
- quality improvement – integrating international standards, methodologies, and best practices to improve the quality of teaching and learning;
- academic mobility – creating conditions for learners and teachers’ mobility, although this aspect is complicated by security challenges;
- recognition of qualifications – simplification of the procedures for recognising foreign educational qualifications.
Challenges:
- safety environment – ensuring the safety of learners and teachers is a major challenge;
- psychological support – there is the need for psychological support for all the participants in the educational process in wartime;
- mobility restrictions – security restrictions can make it difficult to participate in international exchange programmes.
Partnerships and networks
With the beginning of the full-scale armed aggression of Russia against Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MESU) intensified cooperation with international partners. They formed a powerful international coalition to seek comprehensive assistance in the development of Ukrainian education and science. In 2023, this cooperation resulted in more than 160 projects and programmes for supporting the education and science sectors of Ukraine. The total funding volume was about 1.2 billion euros. In total, more than 50 organisations and governments of foreign countries responded, including specialised UN structures, the EU bodies, national governments, and international public organisations.
Assistance focused on school (38 projects and programmes), professional pre-higher and higher education (24), and vocational education and training (20). When assisting, international partners took into account the priorities of the MESU to create safe conditions for learning and teaching and ensure high-quality distance and blended learning. As a result, the support includes the following main areas:
- provision of computer equipment by UNICEF, UNESCO, Google and other partners;
- creation of a network of digital education centres in cooperation with Save the Children, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Google, etc.;
- printing of textbooks for the 5th grade for the NUS mathematics (UNICEF), for the 5th grade for the NUS Ukrainian language (the EU), for integrated courses ‘Learning about Nature’, ‘Natural Sciences’ and ‘Environment’ (Finland);
- creation of e-content for the All-Ukrainian online school, and mobile application ‘I study – I don’t wait’;
- development of tools for catch-up learning (catch-up programmes);
- restoration and repair of educational institutions (100 million euros from the EU for the rapid reconstruction of schools in the deoccupied territories);
- tools and courses on psychological support for teachers and learners (UNICEF, UNESCO, etc.);
- support for the organisation of a transparent and safe admission campaign to higher education institutions (UNESCO, governments of partner countries);
- compensation of the wages of education sector employees within the World Bank project;
- attracting funding to improve the provision of hot meals for learners (UN World Food Programme);
- support for VETIs accommodating internally displaced persons, including the purchase of furniture, equipment, baby food, medicines, generators, etc. (EU programme EU4Skills: Best skills for modern Ukraine).